Most Popular People With Date of Death in 1980

Steve McQueenActor, The Great EscapeHe was the ultra-cool male film star of the 1960s, and rose from a troubled youth spent in reform schools to being the world's most popular actor. Over 25 years after his untimely death from mesothelioma in 1980, Steve McQueen is still considered hip and cool, and he endures as an icon of popular culture...

2.

Alfred HitchcockDirector, PsychoAlfred Joseph Hitchcock was born in Leytonstone, Essex, England. He was the son of Emma Jane (Whelan; 1863 - 1942) and East End greengrocer William Hitchcock (1862 - 1914). His parents were both of half English and half Irish ancestry. He had two older siblings, William Hitchcock (born 1890) and Eileen Hitchcock (born 1892)...

3.

Peter SellersActor, Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the BombOften credited as the greatest comedian of all time, Peter Sellers was born to a well-off English acting family in 1925. His mother and father worked in an acting company run by his grandmother. As a child, Sellers was spoiled, as his parents' first child had died at birth. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force and served during World War II...

4.

Mae WestSoundtrack, I'm No AngelMae West was born in Brooklyn, New York, to "Battling Jack" West and Matilda Doelger. She began her career as a child star in vaudeville, and later went on to write her own plays, including "SEX", for which she was arrested. Though her first movie role was a small part in Night After Night, her scene has become famous...

5.

John LennonSoundtrack, A Hard Day's NightJohn Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia (Stanley) an Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was of Irish, and some Welsh and English, ancestry. In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, which he attended) who, with the addition of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, later became The Beatles...

6.

Strother MartinActor, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance KidAmerican character actor who achieved considerable fame in the last decade of his life. A native of Kokomo, Indiana, Strother Martin Jr. was the youngest of three children of Strother Douglas Martin, a machinist, and Ethel Dunlap Martin. His family moved soon after his birth to San Antonio, Texas, but quickly returned to Indiana...

David JanssenActor, The Green BeretsDavid Janssen was born (in Nebraska in 1931) to be a TV star. The Janssen family settled in Hollywood when he was a teenager and he attended Fairfax High School, where he developed an interest in acting. His film debut was a bit part in It's a Pleasure, and at the age of 18 signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox...

9.

Milburn StoneActor, Pickup on South StreetCharacter actor Milburn Stone, the beloved "Doc Adams" on TV's long-running western classic Gunsmoke, was born in Kansas on July 5, 1904. Acting must have been in his blood as the nephew of Broadway comedian Fred Stone for Milburn left home as a teenager to find work with touring repertory troupes...

10.

Hugh GriffithActor, Ben-HurEnjoyably larger-than-life character actor Hugh Emrys Griffith was born in Marianglas, Anglesey, North Wales, to Mary (Williams) and William Griffith. Griffith left the world of banking (having been employed as a teller) after winning a scholarship to study acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...

11.

Jay SilverheelsActor, The Lone RangerFamiliar Canadian Indian actor who shot to fame as Tonto, the faithful Indian companion of the masked man on the US television series The Lone Ranger. A member of the Mohawk tribe of Canada's Six Nations Reserve, Silverheels excelled at wrestling, horse racing, football, boxing, and hockey, and became a renowned lacrosse player...

12.

Michael StrongActor, PattonWhile never one of the big names on screen, Michael Strong was one of those excellent method actors who were often compelling to watch. Unsurprisingly, many of Michael's screen characters were typical New Yorkers, whether they be cops or thugs, and he imbued them with an edgy 'in-your-face' intensity that was all his own...

13.

George RaftActor, Some Like It HotGeorge Raft was born and grew up in a poor family in Hell's Kitchen, at the time one of the roughest, meanest areas of New York City. He was born George Ranft, and was the son of Eva (Glockner) and Conrad Ranft, a department store deliveryman. His parents were both of German descent. In his youth, he showed a great interest in...

14.

Mario BavaCinematographer, A Bay of BloodItalian director Mario Bava was born on July 31, 1914 in the coastal northern Italian town of San Remo. His father, Eugenio Bava (1886-1966), was a cinematographer in the early days of the Italian film industry. Bava was trained as a painter, and when he eventually followed his father into film photography...

15.

Raymond BaileyActor, VertigoRaymond Bailey was a great example of "If at first you don't succeed..." After high school, Bailey headed for Hollywood with the intent on becoming a movie star, but soon found it tougher than he thought. Instead Bailey went into a high finance career working as stockbroker and banker. He made a second stab at Hollywood...

Jimmy DuranteSoundtrack, The NotebookComedian, composer, actor, singer and songwriter ("Inka Dinka Doo") Jimmy Durante was educated in New York public schools. He began his career as a Coney Island pianist, and organized a five-piece band in 1916. He opened the Club Durant with Eddie Jackson and Lou Clayton, with whom he later formed a comedy trio for vaudeville and on television...

18.

John LaurieActor, HamletJohn Laurie was a Scotsman who would play many character roles in his long career - a lot of Scotsmen to be sure - but an enthusiastic and skilled actor in nearly 120 screen roles. He was the son of a mill worker, and studied for a career in architecture which he indeed began. But with World War I he left his position to join the British army...

19.

Douglas KenneyWriter, Animal HouseThough almost completely unknown, this man was one of the originators of a highly popular and groundbreaking new form of comedy and satire. After working on the Harvard Lampoon as an undergraduate, Douglas C. Kenney co-founded the National Lampoon magazine and the National Lampoon Radio Hour. Kenney had originally collaborated at Harvard with friend...

20.

Victor Sen YungActor, The LetterAchieving both film and TV notice during his lengthy career, this diminutive Asian-American character was born Sen Yew Cheung on October 18, 1915 in San Francisco of humble Chinese émigrés. When his mother died during the flu epidemic of 1919, his father placed Victor and his sister in a children's shelter and returned to his homeland...

21.

George TobiasActor, Sergeant YorkAmerican character actor who specialized in none-too-bright pals of the lead, though his range included villains and ethnic types. A native of New York City, he began acting at 15. He studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and played on Broadway with the Theatre Guild, and with the Provincetown Players...

22.

Hattie JacquesActress, Carry on CabbyPrior to entering show business, she worked as a Red Cross nurse and as a welder. She did an audition at the Players Theatre on a Friday, on the Monday she was a professional entertainer singing Marie Lloyd songs. She got the name Hattie while at the Players when as part of her act she sang a negro song...

23.

Imogen HassallActress, El CondorImogen Hassall is sometimes referred to as "The Countess of Cleavage" as she was better known for her glamorous celebrity than her acting talent. Imogen was born on August 25 1942, in Woking, Surrey, England and rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s as an international B-movie starlet...

Don 'Red' BarryActor, Johnny Got His GunDonald Barry went from the stage to the screen. After four years of playing villains and henchmen at various studios, Barry got the role that changed his image: Red Ryder in the Republic Pictures serial Adventures of Red Ryder. Although he had appeared in westerns for two years or so, this was the one that kept him there...

Raoul WalshDirector, White HeatRaoul Walsh's 52-year directorial career made him a Hollywood legend. Walsh was also an actor: He appeared in the first version of W. Somerset Maugham's "Rain" renamed Sadie Thompson opposite Gloria Swanson in the title role. He would have played the Cisco Kid in his own film In Old Arizona if an errant jackrabbit hadn't cost him his right eye by leaping through the windshield of his automobile...

28.

Duncan RenaldoActor, The Gay AmigoTo most audiences, Duncan Renaldo will always be identified as film and TV's "The Cisco Kid." However, this role occurred late in his career, which consisted of much more than just this western character. Not much is known about Renaldo's early life. In fact, his date and place of birth is still questioned...

29.

George PalDirector, The Time MachineGeorge Pal was born on February 1, 1908, in Cegled, Austria-Hungary. Later, when he was still a child, his stage-entertainer parents divorced, and he was raised by his grandparents. In 1928, Pal graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts with a degree in Architecture and highly developed drawing skills...

30.

Lewis MilestoneDirector, All Quiet on the Western FrontLewis Milestone, a clothing manufacturer's son, was born in Bessarabia (now Moldova), raised in Odessa (Ukraine) and educated in Belgium and Berlin (where he studied engineering). He was fluent in both German and Russian and an avid reader. Milestone had an affinity for the theatre from an early age...

Tex AveryDirector, The Woody Woodpecker ShowTex Avery was a descendant of Judge Roy Bean and Daniel Boone, but all his grandma ever told him about it was "Don't ever mention you are kin to Roy Bean. He's a no good skunk!!" After graduating from North Dallas High School in 1927, Avery moved to Southern California in 1929 and got a job in the harbor...

34.

Gail PatrickActress, My Man GodfreyCold, calculating and hard-as-nails is probably the best definition of Gail Patrick's femmes on the 30s and 40s silver screen, and the actress herself was no softie in real life. The tall, slender, patrician beauty was born with the equally stately-sounding name Margaret LaVelle Fitzpatrick in Birmingham...

35.

Terence FisherDirector, Horror of DraculaTerence Fisher was born in Maida Vale, England, in 1904. Raised by his grandmother in a strict Christian Scientist environment, Fisher left school while still in his teens to join the Merchant Marine. By his own account he soon discovered that a life at sea was not for him, so he left the service and tried his hand at a succession of jobs ashore...

36.

Sam LeveneActor, ...And Justice for All.Sam Levene was the actor who originated "craps-shooter extraordinaire" Nathan Detroit in the seminal American musical "Guys and Dolls" on the Great White Way in the original 1950 production. Levene was not a good singer and had trouble staying in key, so his solo number "Sue Me" had to be written in one octave to compensate for his lack of pipes...

37.

Dirch PasserActor, Mig og mafiaenDirch Hartvig Passer was born on May 18, 1926, on Østerbro, Copenhagen, to Ragnhild Fich and Capt. Vilhelm Passer (seaman). He never did well in school, being the class clown, which had a negative effect on his grades. He did especially badly in mathematics, which came to follow him the rest of his life...

Dan WhiteActor, Attack of the Giant LeechesDan White was born to George & Orpha White about one mile from the Suwannee River in Falmouth, Florida. Falmouth was a small sleepy town then, as it is still today. He was one of 12 siblings who were moved to Lakeland sometime around WW I. Lakeland is where Dan was introduced into show business in 1922 at the age of 14...

40.

Dick HaymesActor, State FairDick Haymes' birth in Argentina meant he was not legally an American citizen. In order to get out of the draft in 1944, he registered as a "resident alien" and was able to avoid service in the Armed Forces. There was little publicity at the time, but when he went to Hawaii in 1953 to pursue Rita Hayworth (who was on location for Miss Sadie Thompson)...

41.

Dorothy PhillipsActress, The Heart of HumanityA former stage actress, Dorothy Phillips was married to actor/director/producer Allen Holubar. They were known as two of the screen's most prominent players--her the star, he the director/producer. Dorothy was well known in Hollywood as one of the most warm-hearted, approachable stars in the business...

Bobby VanSelf, Make Me LaughTriple-threat performer singer, dancer and actor Bobby Van was the epitome of the breezy, exuberant song-and-dance man who could enliven any film he was put into. Unfortunately, he caught the tail end of MGM's musical reign during the 1950s. Alas, the visions of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor come...

44.

Kay MedfordActress, Funny GirlA veteran scene stealer known for her delightful dry, poker-faced delivery, Kay Medford was born Maggie O'Regan in New York City in 1914, the daughter of James and Mary (Kelly) O'Regan, of Irish stock. Kay attended both public and Catholic schools growing up, her parents both dying while she was in her teens...

45.

Mohammad RafiSoundtrack, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindMohammed Rafi, whose voice brought to life hundreds of melodies, was born in a village Kotla Sultan Singh near Amritsar long before India attained its independence. But music training beckoned him to Lahore where he cut his musical teeth under the hawk-like eye of Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan. He made his singing debut in the Punjabi film Gul baloch by rendering a duet with Zeenat Begum...

46.

Reginald GardinerActor, The Great DictatorEnglish-born Reginald Gardiner graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and, by the early 1930's, had become an established revue and musical star on the London stage. His first foray into films was in the Alfred Hitchcock-directed The Lodger in 1926, but it was in Hollywood where his career really took off...

47.

Gower ChampionActor, Show BoatDancer, actor, choreographer and director. Joined in 1945 with Marjorie Belcher (aka Marjorie Bell) to form the dance team of "Gower & Bell," renaming the team "Marge and Gower Champion" upon their marriage.

48.

Dorothy StrattenActress, GalaxinaDorothy Stratten's story was brief, glorious and tragic. She was born Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten on February 28, 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Vancouver, but kept out of trouble and went through the motions of school. While not a beauty as a child...

49.

Bon ScottSoundtrack, Iron Man 2Ronald Belford Scott was born on July 9, 1946 in Kirriemuir, Scotland, UK. In 1952, the Scott family relocated to Australia. Bon's strong distaste for authority led him to quit his studies at the age of 15. Bon's earliest musical efforts were both on vocals and drums. His first "real" job in the music business was in a pop band called The Valentines...